Suction cleaners



Sept. 23, 1969 w. o. GOLLOWAY, JR 3,467,980

SUCTION CLEANERS Filed Dec. 13. 1967 2 SheetsASi-xwt 3.

p 23, 1969 w. o. GOLLOWAY, JR 3,467,980

SUCTION CLEANERS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 13. 1967 vm 2. mm m an m mil

3,467,980 SUCTION CLEANERS William 0. Galloway, Jr., Ardmore, ()kla, assignor to The Hoover Company, North Canton, Ohio, a corporation of Delaware Filed Dec. 13, 1967, Ser. No. 690,155 Int. Cl. A471 /32, 11/20 US. Cl. 324 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLGSURE In an upright suction cleaner removable attachment of the cover for the converter port controls operation of the suction creating motor-fan unit and the dirt finder lamp for cleaning surfaces on and ofi-the-floor.

Background of the invention Summary According to the present invention an upright suction cleaner is provided with a port which is closed by a cover for on-the-fioor cleaning and the cover is removed to expose the opening to permit attachment of tools to the source of suction to convert the cleaner for off-the-fioor use.

A multi-speed motor-fan suction creating unit is provided to increase the suction pressure when the tools are attached for otf-the-fioor cleaning. The increased suction pressure is obtained by cooperable motor switch means mounted on the cleaner body adjacent the converter port and also upon the converter port cover. When the cover is attached to the cleaner the switch means are operated to decrease the motor speed to provide suction pressure suitable for on-the-floor cleaning, and removal of the cover operates the switch means to increase the motor speed and thus supply greater suction pressure to the cleaning tools when the latter are attached to the cleaner.

The dirt finder lamp circuit has cooperating contacts on the cleaner body adjacent the converter. port and on the cover which are disconnected upon removal of the converter port cover to thereby disconnect the lamp from its circuit.

The dirt finder lamp, its socket and contacts, and part of the motor switch means are all mounted on the converter port cover for removable attachment as a unit to the cleaner body to ettect control of the dirt finder lamp circuit and also the speed of the motor, the latter altering the amount of suction pressure produced by the suction creating fan.

Description of the drawings One embodiment of the invention is shown in the following drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a broken side view partly in section of an upright suction cleaner embodying the invention,

FIGURE 2 is a partial front view of FIGURE 1 with the dirt finder lens broken away to disclose the dirt finder lamp and the actuator for the motor speed changing switch,

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view with the converter port cover removed and the converter hose attached for offthe-fioor cleaning,

FIGURE 4 is a front view of FIGURE 3 with the hose States Patent 0 removed and discloses the motor speed changing switch and dirt finder lamp female contacts mounted on the front wall of the suction air passageway,

FIGURE 5 is a section taken along the line 55 in FIGURE 6 showing the speed changing switch in the high speed position when the converter port cover is removed from the cleaner,

FIGURE 6 is a front elevational view of the speed changing switch and dirt finder lamp female contacts,

FIGURE 7 is a sectional view of the speed changing switch in low speed position when the converter port cover is attached to the cleaner,

FIGURE 8 is a bottom view taken along the line 88 in FIGURE 5,

FIGURE 9 is a top view, partly in section, of the support member removed from the converter port cover,

FIGURE 10 is a sectional view of the dirt finder lamp socket and switch actuator,

FIGURE 11 is an end view of the dirt finder lamp socket, and

FIGURE 12 is a schematic showing of the electrical circuits.

Description of the preferred embodiment The embodiment of the invention herein disclosed comprises an upright suction cleaner having a body 10 including a rear portion 11 and a front portion 12 provided with a suction nozzle 13 connected by a suction air passageway 14 to the inlet 15 of a fan chamber 16 which is joined to an unshown air exhaust passageway discharging into a dirt filtering bag 17 supported on the cleaner body and on a handle 18 in a manner understood in the art. The suction air passageway 14 has a front wall which includes a portion 20 extending upwardly from the nozzle front lip 21 and then rearwardly as shown at 22 to an inclined wall portion 23 which terminates at the top wall 24 of the body 10. The inclined wall 23 has a portion 25 projecting for wardly and is provided with a converter port 26. The fan chamber inlet 15 is formed in the rear wall 27 of the air passageway 14 opposite the converter port 26. Extending rearwardly of the fan chamber 16 is a motor housing 28, only partially shown, in which is disposed a two-speed motor 29 operating a suction creating fan 30 in the fan chamber 16 and a belt pulley 31 projecting through the fan eye 15 into the air passageway 14. Rotatably mounted in the nozzle 13 is an agitator 32 engageable with the floor covering to be cleaned. The agitator 32 is rotated by a belt 33 in the air passageway 14 and the belt is removably connected to the pulley 31 disposed rearwardly of the converter port 26. The cleaner is supported on suitable wheels 34.

Removably attached to the inclined front wall portion 23 of the air passageway 14 is a converter port cover 35 including a housing 36 and a member 37 for supporting a dirt finder lamp 38 and a motor switch actuator 39. The converter cover housing 36 has a top wall 40 and opposed side walls 41 which project forwardly from corresponding walls on the front portion of the cleaner body 10. A dirt finder lens 42 is seated in a U-shaped recess 43 in the walls 40 and 41 of the cover housing 36, the lower edge 44 of the lens resting on the front wall portion 22 of the air passageway 14.

The support member 37 is provided with a plurality of offsets 46, two or which are shown in FIGURE 9, which receive screws 47 threaded into bosses 48 on the cover housing 36 to secure the support member 37 thereto. The lens 42 is retained in the U-shaped recess 43 by screws 50 secured to the lower edge 49 of the support member 37, as shown in FIGURE 1, whereby the lens may be initially attached to the support member 37 and assembled with the latter as a unit to the housing 36 by the screws 47.

A portion of the upper edge of the support member 37 is provided with an oifset tongue 51 adapted to pass through the converter port 26 and engage the inner surface of the upper marginal edge thereof as shown in FIGURE 1. A resilient latch 52 for the converter port cover is provided with a U-shaped body 53 suitably secured by unshown rivets in a recessed portion 54 of the support member 37. The opposite ends of the latch body 53 are each provided with a resilient finger 55 having an inclined surface 56 adapted to engage the inner surface of the air passageway front wall portion 23 adjacent the marginal edge of the converter port 26.

When it is desired to attach the converter port cover 35 to the cleaner, the tongue 51 is inserted through the converter port 26 to engage the upper marginal edge thereof, as shown in FIGURE 1, and thereafter the cover is pivoted downwardly until the inclined surfaces 56 of the resilient latch 52 engage the inner surface of the marginal edge of the port 26. In this position the cover is secured to the cleaner and the support member 37 seals the converter port 26 to prevent passage of air therethrough.

It will be noted in FIGURE 1 that the lower edge 44 of the lens 42 rests on the front wall portion 42 and the projecting surface 57 of the lens is spaced therefrom. When the converter port cover 35 is to be removed the operators fingers engage the lens surface 57 and exerts an upward force to cause the inclined surfaces 56 to flex the resilient fingers 55 and release the latter from the marginal edge of the converter port 26 and permit removal of the converter port cover 35.

The two-speed motor 29 is provided with a tapped split field winding which is controlled by a two-speed switch 59 enclosed in a housing 60 attached by screws 61 to the outer surface of the suction air passageway inclined front wall portion 23. The switch 59 includes a mounting plate 62 attached by screws 63 to the housing 60. Mounted on the plate 62 is a contact bracket 64 pivotally supporting a contact arm 65 provided with a contact 66 which engages a contact bracket 67 for connection to the tapped portion of the motor field winding for higher motor speed when the cleaner is conditioned for oif-the-floor cleaning as shown in FIGURE 5. The movable contact 66 also engages a stationary contact bracket 68 connected as shown in FIGURE 7 to the complete motor field winding when the cleaner is prepared for on-the-floor low motor speed operation. The movable switch arm 65 is normally biased to the high motor speed position shown in FIGURE by a toggle device including a spring 69 connected to the switch arm 65 and to one end of a lever 70 pivoted on the bracket 64. The other end of the lever 70 is provided with an arcuate portion 71 which engages the inner end 72 of a plunger 73 slideably projecting through the top wall 74 of the housing 60. Movement of the plunger 73 inwardly of the housing 60 causes the movable contact 66 to engage the contact bracket 67 to operate the motor at low speed for on-the-floor cleaning.

The housing 60 has an offset portion 76 provided with two recesses 77 in which are seated female electrical contacts 78 and 79 for reception respectively of male contacts 80 and 81 of the dirt finder lamp 38. The female contact 78 is connected by a lead 82 to the contact bracket 64 mounted on the support plate 62 as shown in FIGURE 8.

The two-speed switch 59 and female contacts 78-79 for the dirt finder lamp 38 are controlled by the removable attachment of the converter port cover 35 t0 the cleaner. The left end of the converter port cover support 37, as viewed in FIGURE 9, is provided with an upstanding lug 83 through which projects screws 84 to secure a housing 85 to the support member 37. The housing 85 includes a dirt finder lamp socket 86 having an opening 87 for removable insertion of the dirt finder lamp 38 in a conventional manner such as by means of a bayonet connection. A reflector 88 for the lamp 38 is attached to the support member 37 by a plurality of suitable rivets. The male contacts and 81 for the lamp socket 86 are secured by pins 89 in a recessed area 90 of the housing 85 and each contact includes a resilient end portion 91 for engagement with the dirt finder lamp 38. The opposite ends of the contacts 80 and 81 project from the housing 85 for removable insertion into the female contacts 78 and 79.

Projecting from an end of the housing 85 is the switch actuator 39 having a fiat surface 93 which removably engages the two-speed switch plunger 73 to control operation of the motor 29. The switch actuator 39 is formed on a panel 94 which is slidable in a U-shaped recess 95 in the housing 85 for attachment thereto. The panel 94 can be removed from the housing 85 to provide access to the recess 90 and the contact pins 89.

An electrical conductor is provided at one end with a plug 97, shown in FIGURE 1, for connection to a source of current, and the conductor includes two leads 98 and 99 of the electrical circuits disclosed schematically in FIGURE 12. A foot operated switch 100, mounted on the cleaner body, is in the lead 98 which is connected to the contact bracket 64 of the two-speed switch 59. The lead 82 extends from the contact bracket 64 to the lamp female contact 78 and the removable lamp male contact 80 then through the lamp 38 and its removable male contact 81 to the female contact 79 to the other lead 99. Thus it is apparent the lamp 38 is connected across the leads 98 and 99, and that removal of the converter port cover 35 from the cleaner disconnects the male contacts 80 and 81 of the lamp from the female contacts 78 and 79 respectively to interrupt the circuit to the lamp 38.

The motor 29 is operable for low speed on-the-floor cleaning when the switch arm 65 is in its solid line position connected to the contact bracket 68 from which lead 101 is connected to one end 102 of the motor field coil 103 and passes completely therethrough and then the armature 104 to the other lead 99. The switch arm 65 is maintained in this low motor speed position when the converter port cover 35 is latched to the cleaner and the switch actuator 39 moves the switch plunger 73 to the position shown in FIGURE 7.

The motor circuit for high speed operation is obtained when the switch arm 65 is in its dotted line position in engagement with the contact bracket 67 connected by a lead 105 to a tap 106 in the field Winding 103 to cut out a portion of the latter and the circuit then passes through the armature 104 to the other lead 99. The switch arm 65 is maintained in its dotted line high motor speed position when the converter port cover is removed from the cleaner and the switch actuator 39 is disconnected from the switch plunger 73 to allow the toggle device to move the plunger 73 outwardly of the housing 80 and shift the switch arm 65 to the position shown in FIG- URE 5.

The conductors 98, 101 and 105 from the switch 59, and the conductor 99 from the lamp female contact 79 are enclosed in a flexible sleeve 107 of insulating material which extends from an opening 108 located in the inclined front wall portion 23 behind the housing 60 then across the suction air passageway 14 and through the opening 109 in the passageway rear wall 27 to thereby protect the conductors from dirt-laden air traveling from the nozzle 13 to the fan eye 15. The foregoing four conductors are connected to an unshown terminal block mounted on the motor housing 28 for connection to the motor field coil and foot operated switch 100.

From the foregoing it will be perceived that for onthe-fioor cleaning the converter port cover 35 is attached to the cleaner and the support member 37 closes the converter port 26 whereby the suction created by the fan 30 draws the dirt-laden air upwardly through the nozzle 13, suction air passageway 14, fan eye 15 into the fan chamber 16 from which it is discharged into the filter bag 17. The switch actuator 39 engages the two-speed switch plunger 73 and maintains it in the position shown in FIGURE 7 to establish the previously described electrical circuit for operating the motor at low speed. In addition, the male contacts 80-81 of the dirt finder lamp 38 are engaged with the female contacts 78-79-to connect the lamp 38 in circuit. Under the foregoing conditions operation of the lamp 38 and the motor 29 is controlled by the foot operated switch 100.

The cleaner is adapted for off-the-fioor operation by removing the converter port cover 35 from the cleaner to thereby expose the converter port 26, disconnect the lamp 38 from its circuit and remove the switch actuator 39 from the switch plunger 73 so that the toggle device automatically shifts the switch arm 65 to the position shown in FIGURE 5 to thereby complete the motor circuit for rotation of motor 29 at high speed. The motor 29 when operating at high speed is controlled by the foot operated switch 100 and rotates the fan 30 at increased speed to provide greater suction pressure for off-the-floor cleaning.

In order to connect the tools for ofi-the-floor cleaning the belt 33 is removed from the pulley 31 by a belt lifter 110. The belt lifter 110 includes a member 111 seated in the converter port 26 and supports a rotatable tubular member 112 having a handle 113 and unshown hooks to lift the belt 33 from the pulley 31 to the position shown in FIGURE 3. The belt lifter 110 forms no part of this invention and accordingly it is not described in detail. The rigid end 114 of a hose 115 is inserted through the tubular member 112 into sealing engagement with the fan chamber inlet so that all dirt-laden air passes through the hose into the fan chamber 16 and then to the dirt filter bag 17. Suitable unshown tools are attached to the free end of the hose 115 for engagement with the surface to be cleaned.

I claim:

1. A suction cleaner, comprising:

(a) a body having a floor nozzle for on-the-fioor clean- (b) suction creating means including an electric motor having a plurality of circuits for multi-speed operation,

(0) a suction air passageway in said body extending from said nozzle to said suction creating means,

((1) a converter port in said body communicable with said suction creating means and adapted to be connected with a converter for otf-the-floor cleaning,

(e) a removable converter port cover forming part of said cleaner body when attached thereto for closing said port for on-the-fioor cleaning,

(f) a dirt finder lamp supported on said converter port cover,

(g) an electrical circuit on said body for said lamp and connectible to a source of current,

(h) cooperable switch means on said body and cover operable upon attachment of said cover for on-thefloor cleaning to effect connection of said motor into one of its said circuits for operation at one speed,

(i) cooperable contact means on said body and cover also operable upon said attachment of said cover to place said dirt finder lamp in its said circuit,

(j) removal of said cover uncovering said port for ofI-the-floor cleaning and operating said cooperable switch means to eifect connection of said motor into another circuit for operation at a different speed,

(k) and said removal of said cover eiiecting operation of said cooperable contact means to disconnect said lamp from its circuit.

, 2. A suction cleaner as described in claim 1, and said cooperable switch means including a contact portion and .an actuator portion, one of said portions being on said body and the other portion on said converter port cover to effect said operations of said motor at difierent speeds upon removable attachment of said converter port cover relative to said body.

, 3. A suction cleaner as described in claim 1, and said cooperable switch means including a contact portion on said body and an actuator portion on said converter port cover, said actuator portion forming a part of said lamp.

4. A suction cleaner as described in claim 1, and said cooperable switch contact means including a portion combined with said lamp contact means.

5. A suction cleaner as described in claim 1, and said converter port cover including a lens and a member spaced therefrom to accommodate said lamp therebetween, said member opening and closing said port upon removable attachment of said converter port cover to a said cleaner body.

6. A suction cleaner as described in claim 1, and said converter port cover including a support for a portion of said switch means and a portion of said lamp contact References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,017,937 10/ 1935 Becker. 2,148,656 2/1939 Smellie l5332 3,319,282 5/1967 MacFarland l53 19 ROBERT W. MICHELL, Primary Examiner 

